Night Vision

by Rye Dano

NIGHT VISION Three American soldiers on a special night mission encounter the impossible. What they do next, if they survive, will have consequences none could ever imagine. An exciting new paranormal thriller by Rye Dano, author of "The Backup", "The Road Kill", "The Carrion Trap" and other stories. "A Brilliant Story!" - Tokyo Book Review "Engaging and heart-felt. Wonderfully written." - Tama Place Literature "Unexpected pleasure. What an ending! Excellent!" - S. Hudgins Literary Reviews "Central character Sgt Briggs is on a mission in modern-day Afganistan where things are not what they seem. Protagonist and narrator Briggs is a divorced soldier with an ear infection and a pain in the neck. "Brig" is U.S. Marine-speak for "prison" and Briggs occupies a series of prisons in this first in the claustrophobic desert storm, then in the confined interior of the rescue plane, and then in the infirmary supporting his friend Corporal Mitch and finally in a prison that goes far beyond the material world. The trials of war and the battlefield are interrupted halfway into the story by a small, but key aside from "...I'd have work to do, chores, when I was a kid and I'd be looking up at the stars. 'What do you see up there?' My mom used to ask me, in that loving, forgiving way only a mom can, when she'd catch me looking up at the sky on winter nights. There I'd be, before dinner, out on the porch, straddling the thick wooden railing and holding onto the whitewashed post, leaning backwards and out, head up toward the heavens, looking for something...." This is a good narrative, reminiscent of Hemingway's early stories. It has momentum, and is technically very good--author clearly knows about the gear - the guns, airplanes, radios and other particulars of modern day as well as historical warfare. "The Rolls Royce power plant sprang into sudden symphony of noise and smoke like somebody poured ice cold water onto boiling rocks and they instantly turned into a roaring grizzly bear on his hind legs." "A small dark line was visible like a pen mark on a large wrinkled sheet." The character development is excellent on the whole, and the dialogue rings true. Night Is it gear lost on a modern battlefield in a sandstorm, or is it a metaphor for a sight glimpsed in the night sky from a boyhood porch in Illinois way back when? In either case, it is a brilliant short story that belongs in the "New Yorker" or "Atlantic Monthly" or "New Republic". I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. " ~Literary review by S. Hudgins "Night Vision by new writer Rye Dano is a near-masterpiece of classic science fiction in the best tradition, and beyond. Dano’s knowledge of militaria and combat operations gives the reader a sense of confidence in this writer’s abilities. The writing is trim, the dialogue spare, and this all works well in telling the story as thoroughly and quickly as possible. Dano thereby draws the reader in so that s/he almost travels alongside the characters themselves. Dano’s well-drawn characters have histories, needs, and desires, making them human and relatable. We care about them, root for them, and fear for their survival. We have plot, twists, and just when we say “yeah but I know what comes next,” well…we don’t. Delightful.

74 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 4, 2010

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome To The TWILIGHT ZONE!!

A very good short story with a very unique twist. It was very reminiscent of the old Rod Sterling Twilight Zone. If only this would have been possible, sure could have saved a lot of grief for a lot of people. Well Done!